Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals

Brian Lara will return to cricket in the UAE in December when he takes up the role of coach of Kerala Kings in the T10 Cricket League (TCL).

The West Indian batting hero will mentor a team led by Eoin Morgan, the England limited-overs captain, in the new, 10-over league.

“This is a great way to get things moving after Eoin Morgan agreed to take up the captain’s and brand ambassador’s roles for the Kings,” Shafi Ul Mulk, a co-owner of the Kerala franchise, said of Lara’s appointment.

Lara made a return to the playing field in the UAE in February 2016, when he guided Leo Lions to the final of the ill-fated Masters Champions League. His involvement this time will be solely in a coaching capacity.

Kerala are one of six franchises in the TCL, which will be staged at Sharjah Cricket Stadium for four days from December 21.

The players draft, with around 120 players entered, will take place on October 25.

The TCL matches are designed to be completed within 90 minutes, with its organisers hoping it will emulate the popularity of Twenty20 cricket.

“I think we all remember when Twenty20 first broke, and it took a couple of years for everybody to register how big an impact it could have on our game,” Morgan said at the TCL launch event last week.

“I think if this has half an impact T20 did on the other formats, then we have a very interesting time ahead of us.”